The goal of this work was to assess nitrate losses in the soil profile. Nitrate concentration was determined in the profile of a soil under coastcross pasture (Cynodon dactylon cv. Coastcross), in São Carlos, SP, Brazil, in the rainy season of two consecutive years. The soil was a dark red Latosol (Hapludox), affected by tropical altitude climate. Nitrogen doses of 125, 250, 500 and 1,000 kg ha-1 year-1, as urea or ammonium nitrate were broadcasted splited in five applications. Soil nitrate concentration was determined down to 160 cm depth. In 1999, nitrate level varied according to N sources, reaching higher figure in soil that had received 1,000 kg ha-1 year-1 of N. The highest NO3-N concentration occurred in soil layer down to 100 cm depth, in the plots treated with ammonium nitrate. In 2000, nitrate-N was measured weekly in the soil profile, in treatments with 500 and 1,000 kg ha-1 year-1. The greatest variations, from 0 to 81.2 mg kg-1 of NO3-N, occurred down to 40 cm depth. Results point to low danger of water table contamination in deep medium textured soils of intensively well managed tropical grass pasture, using N doses lower than the forage N cycling capacity and considering the potential soil N sources.
ammonium nitrate; application on surface; Cynodon dactylon cv. Coastcross; nitrate leaching; urea
